Lock.



PATENTED JULY 5, 1904.

A. F. MAYER.

LOOK.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 6, 1903.

NO MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented July 5, 1904:.

PATENT OFFICE.

LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters. Patent No. 764,249, dated July 5, 1904.

Application filed May 6, 1903. Serial No. 155,895. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, AUGUST F. MAYER, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safe-Locks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to safe-locks; and my object is to simplify and cheapen the construction of such locks and also render them easier to operate. In combination safe-locks as at present used and which are operated by a single graduated disk manipulated in certain successive and predetermined ways and in both directions great difliculty is experienced in making the different movements and in bringing the proper marks to the stationary indicator, owing to the large number and close setting of the graduations. In addition to this the interior mechanism controlled by said disk is exceedingly complicated and expensive. Further, the making and changing of combinations are very difficult and generally require the services of an expert.

The invention which is the subject of the present application obviates all these difficulties and objections. I

An apparatus embodying my invention cornprises one or more recessed disks arranged relatively to the locking-bolt and connected by gearing to a controlling device, so that when moved to a proper. point a recess in said disk comes opposite the end of the bolt and receives it as the door-handle is turned.

The controller has two or more movable disks capable of permutation and combination, which are geared to' a similar number of recessed disks, so that recesses in all the recessed disks must be in line with the bolt before the latter can be moved from locked position. Each permutation-disk can carry comparatively few symbols more widely spaced than is now practicable, and therefore instead of the tedious, careful, and difficult manipulation of the present combinationlocks it is only necessary to put the proper symbols of the permutation-disks into combination, which can be done almost immediately.

,A practical embodiment of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in whicl Figure l is a front elevation of part of a safe-door. and its casing with knob and permutation-disks on the outside and some of j the interior mechanism shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of part of the safeidoor with the casing which contains the interior operating mechanism broken away. Fig. ,3 is a plan of the top of the safe-door and in- Qterior operating mechanism broken away to ;show the permutation-disks and their spindles and the connections of the latter to the inte- ;rior gearing.

In all the figures, 1 is the door of the safe, iand 2 the casing or body of the safe surroundiing it. "at the back of the door and adapted to enter a hole in the casing 2. The spindle of the Eknob or handle 5 has an arm 6, projecting be- Etween pins 7 7 on the bolt for moving the latl'ter in either direction. The other end of the bolt is adapted to pass through a slot 8 in the interior casing 9, secured to the rear of the door. Within this casing and loose upon a lpin 10, passing through the same, is a series of gears 13, having flanges or disks 11, with lrecesses 12 in their edges. Any number of jSUCl] gears or disks can be used, according to the complexity of the combinations desired. In the present case I have shown four of such ,disks. If these four disks have their four recesses 12 in line adjacent to the slot 8, the

The bolt is represented at 3, guided iknob can be turned. the bolt withdrawn, and v the door unlocked, the widened inner end of the bolt entering all said recesses. At other times there will be a solid edge of one or more disks 11 to hold the bolt in locked position.

Means are provided for placing the recessed disks in the position described, which means are controlled by combinations of symbols, such as numbers or letters. Each gear 13 can be moved by one of the members of another set of gears 15, pinions 14 being preferably interposed to secure ease of movement. gears 15 are mounted individually and loosely upon a rotatable pin 16, extending through the door and the interior casing, and their arrangement is clearly shown in Fig. 3. Each gear 15 has a hub or boss 17 through which passes a pin. set-screw, or like holding device 18, by means of which such gear is fixed to one of a series of concentric sleeves 19, the inner of which is loose on pin 16, while the others turn independently, each having the next or adjacent sleeve as a bearing. These sleeves are of different lengths to accommodate the series of gears. The inner sleeve can be conveniently mounted upon the pin 16, and a close and compact arrangement is thus provided within the interior casing. A fixed thimble 21 may be provided, extending through the door, which forms an outer bearing for the outer sleeve and surrounds and incloses the whole series of concentric sleeves and bearings. Fixed upon the pin 16 and upon the sleeves are permutation-disks 22, set closely together outside of the door and carrying symbols or indicating marks, such as the letters shown, and which correspond in numberwith the number of teeth in the gears 13 and 15. The flange 21 of thimble 21 also bears indicating-marks as guides, which may become parts of combinationsthat is, any combination can be formed with any one of these stationary symbols. The movement of any disk 22 is communicated through the gearing to one of the recessed disks 11, and it is evident that as the number of symbols corresponds with the number of gear-teeth combinations of certain letters brought into line on the permutation-disks will result in bringing recesses of all the disks 11 into line, enabling the knob to be turned and the door to be unlocked. It is also clear that the symbols of the permutation-disks must be spaced as far apart as the teeth of the gears, so that the extreme care now required in manipulating a safe-lock combination is no longer necessary.

One valuable and important 'feature of my invention is the ease with which combinations can be made and changed by any person however unskilled. The four disks 22 and the outside stationary flange 21 can be be used to form a five-letter combination, either by a word or some arbitrary arrangement. First, the letters on these disks and flange are arranged at any point desired to form the desired combination. The back plate of casing 9 is removed, and the gears 13 are slipped off their pin and assembled with recesses of all of them in line. Then they are replaced in gear in that position, with recesses in line with the bolt and the combination scattered. This has required no skill and no great amount of care; but the same position cannot be reestablished until the same combination has been made outside the safe.

I wish to state that the number of teeth in the gears need not be the same as that of the marks on the permutation-disks, but may bemultiples of the number of marks.

I do not limit myself to the exact construction or arrangement herein described and shown in the drawings, as I desire to avail myself of such modifications and equivalents as fall properly within the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In a safe-lock, a sliding bolt, a series of recessed disks independently mounted upon a common'shaft, a series of permutation-disks outside the door, and independently movable, and gearing connecting each disk of one series to a disk of the other series, whereby a predetermined position of the permutationdisks will bring recesses of all the recessed disks into line with one another and with the end of the bolt.

2. In a safe-lock, the safe-door, the sliding bolt, a series of disks having recesses in their edges and independently rotatable upon a common shaft, a shaft passing through the safedoor, a series of sleeves concentric with said shaft, gears carried by said shaft and said sleeves, and permutation-disks secured severally to said shaft and said sleeves outside the door, all constructed and arranged so that by a predetermined arrangement of the permutation-disks, recesses in said recessed disks can be brought into line with one another and with the bolt.

3. In a safe-lock, the safe-door, the sliding bolt, a series of recessed disks independently movable upon a common shaft, a series of concentric shafts passing through the door, a series of permutation-disks mounted severally upon said shafts outside the door, and gearing connecting each of said shafts to one of said recessed disks, whereby a predetermined arrangement of the permutation-disks brings recesses in all the recessed disks into line with one another and With the bolt.

4. In a safe-lock, acasing secured to the rear of the safe-door, open at one end to receive the safe-bolt, a series of recessed disks mounted separately and loosely in said casing upon a common shaft and each carrying a gear, a series of concentric shafts passing through the safe-door, independently movable,and each provided with a gear for communicating motion to the gears of the recessed disks, and permutation-disks mounted respectively upon said shafts outside the safe-door, for controlling the movements of said shafts and gearing, said permutation-disks being provided with indicative marks or symbols, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a safe-lock, a series of independentlyrotatable gears having recessed flanges, a second series of gears having the same number and arrangement of teeth as the first series, and permutation-disks each bearing visible and intelligible symbols having a definite relation as to their number to the teeth of said gears, and connected to said gears.

6. In a safe-lock, a series of independentlyrotatable gears having recessed flanges, a sec- 0nd series of gears similarly toothed, concen- V trioally-arranged permutation-disks each carrying symbols corresponding in number to the teeth of said gears, and a fixed disk having symbols adapted to form combinations With symbols of the permutatiorrdisks, and to serve as indicators of the positions for such combinations.

7 In a safe-lock, a series of independentlyrotatable gears having recessed flanges, a pin upon Which such gears are loosely mounted side by side, and from Which they are removable, a second series of gears, similarly' toothed, and concentrically-arranged permutation-disks bearing symbols corresponding in number to the teeth of said gears and connected to said gears.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature, in presence of two Witnesses, this 13th day of April, 1903.

AUGUST F. MAYER, Witnesses:

L. W. SEELY, F. M. BURT. 

